“How is she? What happened?”

He took a deep sigh, holding Adriana close as she continued to lose control on his shoulder.

“She was on her way to pick up Abel from his dad’s side of the family when a semi cut her off. She hit her brakes and the pickup behind her slammed into her, pinning her between the semi and the pickup.”

Adriana’s sobs turned to garish shrieks with the recollection of the accident. She jumped up from Danny’s lap, then turned and sprinted into the bathroom. Her reaction stoked something deep inside of me, sending me into a sobbing mess as I stood there listening to Danny speak.

“Imelda isn’t good. But she asked for you…”

“Danny!” A sharp voice called out, instantly shutting down our conversation. I knew the voice as none other than Guadalupe. The last time I had seen her, she had made it painfully obvious that she didn’t give two shits about me, and an instant chill settled over me as I turned and stared into her lifeless eyes. “Your tio needs you, Danny.”

Danny smiled weakly before rolling himself away, leaving me standing there with Guadalupe strolling towards me. Luckily Dalton wasn’t standing too far away, but even so, I felt like I was alone and I was about to be chewed up and violently spit back out. Guadalupe didn’t hold back with what she was feeling, and the look on her face, plus the absence of anything in her eyes, left me feeling vulnerable and alone.

“Cassie, you come,” she harshly commanded, motioning with her hand for me to approach her.

I looked back to Dalton who had exasperation and helplessness written all over his face. He was in over his head without a clue as to what his next move should be, so he stayed put like a silent support system.

“Why you come?” she asked, her tightly held face never cracking.

“Um…ah…Adriana called and asked me to,” I answered, wiping tears away.

“Hmm…you speak with Alejandro?”

“No, ma’am.”

“He’s coming,” she said, sending sparks off in my eyes with the shock of her words. There was still no emotion behind what she was saying, but she wasn’t cursing me out and sending me on my way, so I was taking what I could get. “Alejandro on his way”

“He’s… he’s coming? How?”

“He on his way,” she said, dismissing me, then walking the other way.

I hated how, even in such a troublesome time, she could still be so hateful, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Alex’s family was torn to shreds over what had happened to Imelda, and that was where the focus should lie. Dalton took me in his arms, drawing a questioning eye from Guadalupe, but I didn’t care.

In the center of shit storm was the one bright spot: Alex would be coming home. A second later, dread settled over me as I thought about his well-being, his state of mind, and how he would react to all of this…to me.

Dalton took my hand and led me away from the crowd. The concern filling his face scared me into silence, leaving my heart at a standstill while I waited for whatever he had to say.

“Cassie, Alex is coming home, but it’s not going to be a happy reunion. I just want you prepared for that.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. His concern had been my own, so there was nothing more to worry about. “I know. I’m just glad he is coming home.”

“Okay. But don’t read into it if he’s distant. This will probably destroy him.”

“I’m sure it already has, but I need to find Adriana. I need to see how she’s doing.”

“Okay. Are you hungry?”

I shook my head, then went in search of Adriana. What I found shocked me, leaving me speechless. Adriana stood crying her eyes out, consoled by none other than Jensen. He was rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head in a very affectionate manner. My eyes shut, and I shook my head, wondering if my mind were playing tricks on me. Sure as hell, he was there, and the scene was very real. He looked up and stared into my eyes as I watched the intimacy between them, and a sudden jolt of nausea rocked me as I realized that he was here, Alex was on his way, and he was probably already broken into a million pieces. There really was no need for Jensen to be here, and the more I stared back at him, the more I hated what I knew was coming.

“Hi, Cassie,” he greeted, sending Adriana’s head up to meet my stare.

“Hi,” I managed. “Um, any word on your mom, yet?”

“Nothing,” Adriana responded through sniffles. “Alex should be here soon. Riley is picking him up from the airport.”

“Oh good. Does he know what happened?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off of Jensen.

“He knows.”

“Okay. Well, I’m going to have a seat over there and wait.”

“Cassie, I know you’re wondering about Brandon being here.” She stopped and looked up to him, her lips finally allowing a faint trace of a smile. “We’ve been seeing each other, and I need him here. Please understand.”

“I don’t have an opinion, but I’m sure Alex will, and it’s not what he needs right now. Make things easy on him, please.”

Neither of them said a word. I turned to Dalton and walked back to the waiting area, where we sat and waited for what like forever.

“You okay?” Dalton asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“How am I supposed to look, Dalton? My boyfriend’s mom is hanging on to her life by a thread.”

“You know what I mean. You’re damn near grey, Cassie. You should eat something.”

My eyes met Dalton’s, his serious expression dipped in a bit of concern. I wanted to counter him, but there was really nothing to say. I couldn’t eat. The mere thought of food sent me hurdling for the bathroom, and the last thing I wanted to do was to give my pregnancy away in front of Alex’s family before I’d even had a chance to fill him in. He needed time to process this life altering news, and in the hospital, where his mother’s life or death was sure to alter everyone else’s, I had to do everything in my power to keep the spotlight off of me, and where it belonged.

“Where is she?” I heard Alex’s husky voice, breaking me from my daydreams. He saw me and ran over to where I sat, sweeping me up in his arms and holding on to me like our lives depended on it. He kissed me hurriedly, breaking up the kisses with long intimate hugs. His face was worn down, his eyes bloodshot, but he was Alex, back in my arms and in one piece.

“Oh my gosh, Alex, you’re here. You’re really here. I love you so much.”

“I’m here, Blondie, I’m here.” I looked around to find Nat and Riley walking up, both subdued as they approached the family filled waiting area.

“How are you? How are you taking the news of your mom?”

Alex stood me up on my own two feet, taking my face in his hands as he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “I think I’ve cried every tear that I can cry. How the fuck did this happen? Why my mom?” His voice cracked, his face contorted, but he didn’t give in to the emotions.

“I don’t know…”

“Alejandro, ven aca.” Guadalupe hurried towards us, a fresh set of tears falling from her eyes. “Alejandro, esta aquí.”

It warmed my heart to see the love brewing between them again. The last time I had seen them together, Guadalupe was lambasting me and disowning Alex. I didn’t know what came about his departure visit, but what mattered was what my eyes witnessed in that moment. I couldn’t have been happier.

“I’m fine, Abuelita. I’just want to know about my mom. Where’s Adriana?”

My heart sank with the question. Alex finding out about Adriana was about to set off fireworks that no one really needed at the moment, but before I could say anything, she and Jensen came walking back with coffee in hand.

“Alex. Oh my gosh, Alex, you’re here. In one fucking piece.” Adriana bounded into Alex’s arms, hugging him tight and crying hysterically onto his shoulder. Alex held her tightly, both of them allowing their tears to express what words simply could not. “We need you here, Alex. Please don’t leave again. Please.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Adriana. I’m here.”

Jensen came into view, and Alex’s demeanor completely shifted, his shoulders tensing as Jensen approached. I had seen the look of murder in Alex’s eyes before and here it was again, ready to attack at any given second.

“What the fuck is this dick doing here?” Alex growled, placing Adriana down on her feet and slowly making his way over to Jensen. My heart began to race as I watched Alex move in a slow, calculating manner. My hope was that he’d refrain since his family was right there, watching his every move, but it was almost as if none of them existed.

“This is a private family matter, Jensen. Get the fuck out.”

“Adriana asked me to come, so I’m staying.”

Alex’s head whipped around to his sister, his look of shock registering to everyone in the room. Nat and Riley stood next to me, Riley’s hand resting on my shoulder as we all waited for what we knew was coming.

“You fucking asked him to come here? Why?”

“Alex, knock it off,” Adriana chided, looking towards their family members who were now watching the show. “You need to focus on Mom right now.”

“I would love to focus on my mother, but someone brought an asshole to the hospital where she is fighting for her life. Get him out of here right now, Adriana. I’m not fucking kidding.”

“He’s not leaving, Alex. Now calm down and wait for the doctor to give us some news.”

Alex turned and held his face in his hands, taking long, deep breaths before letting go. “Adriana, I don’t know what the fuck you’re up to, but I have all of my friends here, and Jensen is not motherfucking welcome. Now get him the fuck out of here so I can concentrate on my mother.” His words were voiced through clenched teeth. He was trying hard to compose himself, but the redness in his face and the bulge of the veins in his neck proved that he was slowly losing that internal battle.